spamateur said:

  Yeah I'm finding the Bifrost Uber is on par with the HA-1 in terms of being a brighter sound signature, with the Schiit being ever so slightly easy to listen to. There are very very minor differences between the AKM and the Sabre from what I can tell using the Oppo's amp, but they could very much be imagined as I strive to hear a difference.
 
Thanks very much for the endorsement of the Lyr 2. I'm tempted to press the "buy" button now to give it an audition. The kicker is that I love literally everything else about the Oppo which is why my problem with it feels a little silly. I'm even considering a move to the LCD-3 because I've grown so spoiled by the resolution, build quality, functionality and features of the Oppo. Damn these treble-sensitive ears of mine.

Click to expand...

generally, I would recommend swapping headphones first over fiddling with amps/dacs. but I do personally think the performance between the LCD-X and LCD-3 is quite close and that the LCD-X paired with a warm tube amplifier works very well. Either option would solve your current problem, so can go either way. cheers!

spamateur said:

Just looked it up and man is that a nice amp. What tubes are you running on it right now?

Click to expand...

I got this amp because I was using HE-500 previously ( very good pairing ).

I'm using the following tubes.

http://www.head-fi.org/t/502306/dark-voice-339/2720_20#post_11514363

I only need to turn up to 10 o'clock and it's pretty loud already - probably the efficiency helps a whole LOT.

spamateur said:

  Currently trying to figure out a good warmer amp to pair with my LCD-X. Currently have the Oppo HA-1 but found the pairing was much too bright and fatiguing with the X. Originally had the Sound Blaster X7 and liked the pairing, but had other non-sound-related issues with that DAC/amp combo.
 
Bought a Bifrost Uber which arrived yesterday, but also found that a bit bright feeding only the HA-1's amp, although it's a bit better than using the Sabre-DAC section of the Oppo, which leads me to believe it's also the amp on the HA-1 contributing to the brightness.
 
Any suggestions on a warmer amp? I did a long search on this thread and found some impressions of the Schiit Lyr 2. I've noticed quite a few people in this thread are using the Lyr 2 + LCD-X pairing and liking it, while others did not like the combo at all (without quite explaining why). Any thoughts on the Asgard 2? Really looking for something with a warmer sound sig that tames the upper mids and treble a bit and provide a warmer sig. Or maybe I just need to upgrade to the LCD-3?
 
Hoping to keep the price below $800 and I do need variable volume preamp outs on the amp for feeding my powered Emotiva desktop monitors when I'm not using headphones. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Click to expand...

Gustard H10 tilts slightly to the warm side. It drives planars with ease, and would constitute a fantastic pairing. I also have a La Figaro/DarkVoice 339 on the way so will be able to compare the two; I do not own the LCD-X, but I imagine the Gustard would be a match made in heaven for the LCDs. The Lyr is another popular pairing with planars (which I also own), but atm I prefer my Gustard H10 to it with my HE-500s. IMO of course.

liu junyuan said:

  Gustard H10 tilts slightly to the warm side. It drives planars with ease, and would constitute a fantastic pairing. I also have a La Figaro/DarkVoice 339 on the way so will be able to compare the two; I do not own the LCD-X, but I imagine the Gustard would be a match made in heaven for the LCDs. The Lyr is another popular pairing with planars (which I also own), but atm I prefer my Gustard H10 to it with my HE-500s. IMO of course.

Click to expand...

I can confirm, for both LCD-2's and X's.

Another reasonably priced SS amp that works very well with Hifiman's & Audeze's (except HE 6) is Meier Classic. Fast Paced with nice tight Bass, would classify the sound as Neutral with slight warmth.

I just ordered a Cavalli Liquid Carbon. Let's see how that goes!

advert said:

until now, i cant use my lcd x for long listening... it's weight too much for my neck for long listening

but it sounds pretty good and quite balanced for me to testing amplifiers or players

i am still looking for a "good" desktop amp for lcd x... i tried many desktop amp and still looking for the better one

until now, i think woo audio wa6se is pretty good for lcd x (with custom tube, the tube kit is not that good)

Click to expand...

 
+1 Here. 
 
Just got Lohb's strap and it's awesome. I was a bit skeptical on the difference it would make but it's now twice as comfortable. I can probably listen all day long now whereas previously the top of my head started hurting after an hour. 

So, just to update all the awesome folks in this thread who added their amp recommendations:
 
Call me crazy, but I'm going to keep the Oppo HA-1. I finally got some legitimate free time last night and spent 5 hours or so A/B'ing the Oppo HA-1 and also the HA-1 amp section being fed by the Bifrost Uber (connected to my computer through the same USB cable). I initially thought the combo was too bright for my tastes, but the sound signature grew on me a lot last night while I was listening, and I went to bed without feeling any ear fatigue or headaches. After a lot of listening, I do have to say that the Oppo's DAC sounds significantly better than the Bifrost Uber. Both are about equally bright, but the Oppo's Sabre DAC is noticeably smoother in it's detail delivery. The Schiit sounded brittle and a bit confused in comparison, with a lot of cymbals and hi-hats hits taking on a more jagged edge. The biggest difference for me was the fact that with the Oppo I could hear just how open the hi-hats were when being struck, and which exact cymbal was being played, whereas those types of details weren't as transparent or pleasurable on the Bifrost Uber. Complicated tracks sounded significantly better on the HA-1 as well, as it just seemed to sort out the chaos well. The Schiit maybe was a little better on soundstage and placement, but that difference was less obvious. Just as an FYI, these sort of details were quite subtle and minute on the scattered listening I've been able to do over the last couple days, but were obvious to me after several hours of deep listening.
 
Incidentally, I also bent the ends of the LCD-X's headband a bit more to loosen clamping force (I have a watermelon for a head apparently) and that seemed to help things as well. I'm wondering if the discomfort I felt was coming from the treble was the clamping force on my temples and jaw causing headaches for me as well. 
 
So TL;DR, the Oppo is great. Might not be the absolute best pairing with the LCD-X, but it's awesome if you like a ridiculous level of detail and a dead neutral sound signature.

^ the Oppo HA-1 is great with LCD-X, especially if use the balanced out.
Heck! I even use it with my HD800
But I think it really shines with LCD2/3, Oppos's PM1/PM2, Sony MDR-Z7, or those "warmish" cans.

But for treble-head like me, it's an wxcellent one-box solution.

akhyar said:

^ the Oppo HA-1 is great with LCD-X, especially if use the balanced out.
Heck! I even use it with my HD800

But I think it really shines with LCD2/3, Oppos's PM1/PM2, Sony MDR-Z7, or those "warmish" cans.

But for treble-head like me, it's an wxcellent one-box solution.

Click to expand...

Yeah, I can't imagine it'd be as fun with the HD800 as a good OTL tube amp, but it really is a smooth listener even if it's a tad bright to me. I've read other reviews that say "it's not bright, it's just dead neutral" which I am coming around to agreeing with.

I think the pairing with those other warmer cans you mentioned would be awesome. I'm actually thinking of grabbing an HD650 for gaming as well just for fun as I can imagine it'd be a brilliant match with the Oppo.
 
I was also pricing out equipment for a balanced setup with a separate amp/DAC setup, and there just isn't anything that's remotely in the same price range for features and functionality and build quality (plus dat sexy LCD screen). The Bifrost Uber alone was $500, and that doesn't even have balanced capabilities. Oppo really put out an amazing all-in-one solution with the HA-1.

Has anyone tried Prautes - Cypherlabs with LCD-X before? I think it's a new release.. ? How is it compared to Leben CS300 series. I wonder..

Spamateur was hoping you cld share your impressions of the differences in bass quality (tightness, speed, and impact/slam) between the bifrost and ha1 when u have time. thanks!

money4me247 said:

@Spamateur was hoping you cld share your impressions of the differences in bass quality (tightness, speed, and impact/slam) between the bifrost and ha1 when u have time. thanks!

Click to expand...

Sure! I'll reply in the HA-1 thread just so that we're keeping things in one place, and this is more about the DACs than the LCD-X. 

musixs said:

Has anyone tried Prautes - Cypherlabs with LCD-X before? I think it's a new release.. ? How is it compared to Leben CS300 series. I wonder..

Click to expand...

Yes, the Prautes pairs beautifully with the LCD-X. It's a super-clean and controlled signature, and almost sounds like a solid-state amp. First-rate soundstage, very detailed, no evidence of harshness or glare. I'd rank it among the very best amps I've heard with the LCD-X.

I've heard a friend Leben cs300 with lcd2 and my old grado rs1i a while back. It had a signature that either you love it or hate it. Unfortunately, I think I was the later.

With lcd2, it gave an expansive soundstage, lush and romantic sound. On the other hand, it was also slow and blunt the attack of lcd2, which basically the technical ability of lcd2 that I love (beside its mids). I can understand if someone love it though. I loved how it look a lot